Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-08-23

sugar All OF lnOk6 CoInDlDtu DhTely SuuiCo
to meet The annual charge for the cost CT
the war, which is still upon u.s."
that il is expedient TO maintain taxes both
upon the domestic production and foreign
import of tobacco"
This is the later record of the national
democracy, now in power, upon the ques'
ton of repeal of the internal revenue sys-
TEN. But it must not be forgotten that the
democratic party, which, for ten years, save
70. the term OF The 47th Congress, controlled
the House Of Representatives, where alone
any measure for the repeal or reduction OF
these taxes could be Initiated, failed to act
on The subject, and that it was by the 47th
Congress, republican, that taxes were re-
duced fully fifty millions and the tax On to-
bacco was reduced from Is to S cents.
Yet, the leaders and managers of The dem
ocratic party in Virginia would delude the
people into tho belief that repeal of that
system may now be accomplished by the
democratic patty. In 1884 such preteDce
was successfully used by several democratic
candidates for Congress. The plea was that
they needed the Presidency to secure the
repeal of the system, and the people were
thus deluded into their support. In 1856
the promise of this repeal was as vehement.
ly made as in 1854, by several democratic
candidates for Congress; but tho people
could no longer be deceived. The record
of the democratic administration, and Of the
national democracy, against repeal OF i'll.
ternal revenue system, was stronger than
any asseveratiou of the principles Gifts mi
nority, and the result was the defeat of such
candidates.
1t remains now to be tested whether the
same hollow protences can be used in 1887,
By the democratic leaders, with any more
success than attended them in 1856.
We declare 10 you that. at the moment
the republican party lost the control of the
Government, it was prepared 10 act upon
this subject that President Arthur had
urged the repeal of the tobacco tax, and a
democratic House with the republican Sen
ale ready and anxious to reduce taxes, de-
clined 10 proceed that the republican par
ty is now practically united iu favor of the
repeal of the tax on tobacco and fruit distil.
lations and that if restored to power it will
remove the burden which these domestic
products have 30 long endured.
We assert TO you, that the democratic
party by an overwhelming majority in Con-
gress, is opposed to the repeal of the inter
nal revenue system, as is shown by its re-
cord, and the declaration of its leading and
controlling men from President Cleveland
down. We appeal TO you, Is you favor the
repeal OF that system, TO support republican
candidates for the Legislature, and not TO
waste your votes on democratic candidates,
whose faction, favOring repeal of these taxes
is in q hopeless minority Of its own national
party.
Third. AS to the tariff. The platform of
the Roanoke convention, in this respect, is
ut variance with the record of The national
democratic party. 1t traverses the national
platform of the party, the recommendations
of its President, and the propositions of its
controlling faction in Con. ress. The Roam
oke platform declares in favor of revenue
derived from q tariff On imports and iD
favor of repeal of the internal revenue sys-
tenn while the record of the democratic
party Of this country consistently and un-
waverngly shows that the reverse is the
democratic doctrine. The democratic view
is reduction of import duties to virtual
free trade, and the maintenance ofthe inter-
nal revenue system as means of compel
ling tho adoption OF that un.American poll.
cy and we arraign the Roanoke platform
as misleading, and seeking to deceive The
people of Virginia upon question vital TO
their every interest, and TO the progress and
power the State.
1t remains to he seen, fellow. citizens,
whether you will become the dupes OF pre-
fences which have made the authors of this
platform the laughing. stock of the leading
journals of their own party. The Washing
ton Post and the New York JP0Hd-two of
the most influential democratic journals of
America-have declared boldly and openly
that the planks of the Roanoke platform
upon the internal revenue and tariff are
Numerically opposed to democratic prin-
ciples; and all over the West, North and
East, from st. Louis and Louisville to Bos
ton and Bangor, the orthodox organs of the
democracy have united in deriding and de-
nounciug this platform and its iramers
Fourth. AS to the public debt. For
eight years, from 1871 to 1879, the leaders of
the Virginia democracy were in undis-
puted control Of the administration Of
the State government. During that period
they gave The people no ineligible state
ment of the debt, but or the contrary pro
duced divers irreconciable and conflicting
statements, only tending TO make confusion
worse confounded They formulated no
plan for adjusting the equities between the
SCNeId Ill CliiSacS vi VIC ClcQItOiS VI luc OlitSY
and finally lost power by the passage of
stupid and odious measure known as the
McCulloch bill, which satisfied neither debt
or nor creditor.
Ia 1881 our party was called TO full power
by the people, and within sixty days after
tho meeting of the Legislature prepared.
presented and passed measure which set
forth the amount of our public debt, and q
plan of readjusting it equitably as between
tho several classes of our bondholders, in
such form that no one has yet been found
to question successfully the amount OF the
debt, or the equity of thu adjustment be-
tween the creditors az therein stated.
When this measure was passed. the Bour.
bon leaders denounced it as dishonest, and
predicted its utter failure. Nevertheless, it
went into effect. and was progressing mosl
encouraeingly. The only test case under
the debt legislation of 1882 which went to
the Supreme Court of the United States was
decided in favor of the consttutionality of
the law involved, law vital to The en-